By; Syed Feroz Ahmed
Houston, USA
Gul Plaza Fire: A Terrible Tragedy, does it Exposes again local and provincial Governments of Sindh province utter failure to protect its citizens and bussiness center in heart of metropolitan city Karachi ? It’s an awakening call demands Immediate Action.
The fire at Gul Plaza is not just another urban accident, it is a terrible national tragedy it causes not only financial loss but many human loss too, the question is who’s responsible for this unfortunate tragic incident ? Does it exposes deep failures in governance, regulation, and public safety enforcement, which is primary responsibility of the local and provincial governments of Sindh province.The loss of precious human lives and the complete destruction of a major commercial building have raised serious and unavoidable questions for the local and Provincial Governments and its regulatory authorities.
The speed with which the fire spread and the total structural collapse of Gul Plaza indicate more than an isolated fault. Such devastation points to systemic weaknesses; inadequate fire safety measures, ineffective inspections, and a breakdown in emergency preparedness. For a prominent commercial building located in a prime area of Karachi to be reduced to rubble suggests that existing safety regulations were either ignored, poorly enforced, or treated as a formality.
- Here are few important questions the both local and provincial Governments they Must Answer…!
This incident places the local and Provincial governments under intense scrutiny. Which departments were responsible for inspecting Gul Plaza? When was the last safety audit conducted? Were fire safety clearances properly issued and renewed? If violations existed, why were corrective actions not enforced?
It is neither reasonable nor credible for authorities to shift blame solely onto the building owner or shopkeepers. While private stakeholders have obligations, the responsibility for enforcement, approvals, and public safety rests firmly with the state. When lives are lost in a regulated commercial structure, regulatory failure cannot be denied.
- Need of Immediate corrective measures needed
The Gul Plaza fire must trigger urgent, visible action. Government officials must move beyond statements of concern and take concrete steps, including Immediate fire safety inspections of all high risk commercial and high rise buildings, Public disclosure of buildings found non-compliant with safety regulations, Strict penalties and closures for structures that fail to meet fire and building codes, Strengthening of emergency response systems, including access routes and firefighting capacity, review and reform of inspection and approval processes to eliminate corruption and negligence.
Without swift corrective measures, public confidence in the local and provincial government’s ability to protect citizens will continue to erode.
- Accountability, Not Excuses
What the public demands is accountability not excuses or blame shifting. A transparent and independent inquiry must establish not only the immediate cause of the fire, but also identify officials and departments whose negligence, inaction, or oversight failures contributed to this catastrophe. Accountability must be enforced where lapses are proven, regardless of rank or position.
The Gul Plaza fire should serve as a wake-up call for local and provincial government officials. Public safety cannot remain secondary to bureaucratic inertia or political convenience. This tragedy must mark a turning point—one where regulatory enforcement becomes real, accountability becomes unavoidable, and the protection of human life becomes the government’s highest priority.